1. Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to a firearm, especially hand-held, with a barrel assembly accommodated in a frame and a breech assembly. The barrel assembly moves or travels back and forth in the direction of fire between a forward stop and a rear stop. The breech assembly moves or travels back and forth essentially paralleling the barrel assembly between a forward and closed position and a rear and open position. The breech assembly moves back out of the closed position and into the open position against the force of a closure spring and strikes the frame or a component that rests off the frame. A buffering spring tensions the barrel assembly toward the forward stop and buffers it as it contacts the rear stop.
2. Description of the Related Art
A firearm of this type is known from DE 4 109 777 C2, assigned to common assignor Heckler & Koch.
The terms "up," "down," "forward," and "rear" will be employed hereinafter with reference to the weapons normal firing position with the barrel level and its mouth forward.
In designing hand-held firearms it is important to minimize recoil to the greatest extent possible. It should in particular be weak enough to prevent the shooter from flinching. Furthermore, there must be no risk at all of injury. Finally, the recoil must be particularly weak in automatic and semiautomatic weapons to maintain reasonable aim as firing resumes or continues.
In using and learning to use automatic weapons and in shooting sports quick aim and rapid bursts are often necessary. Aiming the weapon before first firing and re-aiming after each shot must accordingly proceed rapidly.
Although a very light-weight weapon can of course be handled rapidly and easily, it does not have enough mass to counteract recoil successfully and will accordingly wander far off target after every shot. A heavy weapon on the other hand will of course counteract recoil better but is difficult and accordingly time-consuming to aim, especially initially.
The barrel of a bolt-action and recoil-powered automatic firearm interlocks with the breech before the weapon is fired. When the weapon is fired the barrel-and-breech assembly moves back in accordance with the conservation of momentum. During this motion the interlocking mechanism opens and the barrel and breech complete the motion separately. The barrel initially encounters an obstacle, usually the frame. Finally, the breech, moving against the force of a recuperator spring, also encounters an obstacle, usually also the frame, that constitutes the destination of its travel.
The barrel assembly, the barrel and the components associated with and moving along with it, that is, exerts an momentum on the frame as it comes into contact with it. The frame forwards the momentum to the shooter in the form of recoil. The breech assembly, the breech and the components associated with and moving along with it, that is, exert an increasing force as it travels back on the recuperator spring. The reaction of the spring against the frame is also perceived by the shooter as recoil. Finally, the breech assembly strikes the frame and forwards a renewed momentum to it, which impulse is also forwarded to the shooter.
The rebound of the breech assembly off the frame is responsible for most of the recoil. Attenuating this component with a buffering spring at the rear end of the path traveled by the assembly is known. Such a spring decelerates the impact and accordingly weakens the momentum. Such an approach, however, is impossible to employ in hand-held firearms. It would in fact extend the backward travel of the breech considerably beyond what is necessary for recharging. The weapon itself, which of course must be as small as possible, would have to be longer. Finally, this method of attenuation would make the weapon too heavy.
The above-cited reference DE 4 109 777 C2 discloses one possible solution to the problem. Although the impact of the barrel assembly is attenuated with a buffering spring, the spring range does not add to the length of the barrel. The rear of the reacting barrel enters a space above the clip accommodation but without impeding alignment of the uppermost cartridge within that space. The barrel is in fact forced farther forward by the spring before the breech has moved all the way back.
This design, however, seems to have exhausted all theoretical possibilities for attenuating the recoil.